The effects of a spiritual attack can linger for months, even years. In fact, things usually get worse if left unaddressed. There is a mountain of documentation within the paranormal community pertaining to cases of evil spirits taking possession of dwellings and the people in them. As a professional psychic medium or paranormal investigator, it is crucial to take steps to protect yourself and your team from the evil, sometimes homicidal entities you encounter on the job.

One notable psychic medium asserts that the famous case in Amityville, New York resulted from a demonic haunting that was allowed to remain in the home. The activity in the home rose to a fever pitch and eventually left the entire DeFeo family dead and son, Ronnie, in prison for life. Although the DeFeo case is extreme, victims in other cases report the decline of physical and mental health, increased financial problems and the destruction of important personal relationships as the result of negative or demonic hauntings. With increased exposure to the paranormal realm comes increased risk of attacks of this nature. As a professional medium or investigator, you must also guard against energy drain that can impact your physical and emotional health.

While this article is written from the standpoint of a psychic medium, it encompasses the whole paranormal investigative community. It is vital to the safety and the success of any medium or investigator to employ simple protective practices in their work. Spirits are known to scratch, push, bite, attach themselves and can influence your thoughts and emotions. They can invade the physical body, causing medical problems in otherwise healthy individuals. In the most extreme cases, evil entities can cause serious bodily injury and even death to victims. As a result, many mediums and greenhorn ghost hunters are chased off of the job when an ornery entity shows up with not-the-nicest of intentions. You’ve beckoned the spirits. They showed up. Now what?

Follow these simple but powerful steps and stay safe on the job:

White Light Meditation

Prior to beginning a reading or entering a location, take 5-10 minutes to complete this easy meditation. Imagine a powerful white light circling your head and moving down the length of your body all the way to your feet. Imagine this light expanding into a bubble or aura of protection that moves with you as you go about your work.

If you are a spiritual or religious person, you can imagine this protective light as a gift from or an extension of your higher power. If you are not religious, it is more than sufficient to imagine this light surrounding you as pure, protective energy and the extension of your own personal power and groundedness.

In addition to adding a layer of protection, you might find that this meditation enhances your readings or investigations. Positive entities are attracted to this vital energy and take comfort in it. It is believed that spirits cannot see man-made light but they can easily see candlelight and the light energy that comes from a warm human aura.

Negative entities, on the other hand, shrink from the light. They prefer dark, dank spaces and are most at home around humans with fearful or depressed energy. Their power is somewhat diminished by the positive energy force generated by the white light meditation.

To take this meditation a step further, imagine a layer of mirrors surrounding you in addition to the white light. The mirrors reflect light back into the world. This allows you to have a powerful, positive influence on the environment while protecting you also from becoming drained or being attacked.

Meditation may seem unnatural if you are not into meditation. It does not have to have a religious or even spiritual connotation to work well. When you become good at it, you can begin your meditation in just a couple of minutes and imagine the light expanding as you go about your work. Continue to focus on the light at times throughout the reading or investigation.

Talismans

Most mediums show up for work armed with talismans and other tools of the trade to keep them safe. Investigators benefit from talismans, too. If you are a religious person, you may draw from the traditions of your faith in selecting protective items for use in your work. What types of talismans or protective items are used? There are tried-and-true methods within the paranormal community listed below. However, there aren’t really any rules – if the items make you feel safe and boost your confidence in your work, consider them worthy and appropriate. One famous investigator relies on a meaningful tattoo. Before heading out to the neighborhood tattoo shop, check out this list of a few things commonly used by mediums and investigators:

Crosses, Religious Medals, Holy Water

Medicine bags filled with herbs and stones, used by indigenous people for thousands of years.

Stones, like crystals and black tourmaline, used to banish negativity and charge the environment with positive energy.

Show Respect

The old “golden rule” even applies in the spirit world. When engaging in communication with spirits, be respectful. Many paranormal groups use heckling to rouse spirits. While this method is effective in stirring things up, it usually brings about the kind of attention you don’t want. The most responsible para-professionals don’t use heckling for fear of putting their clients into a dangerous situation. In readings, speak to your clients on the other side just as you would during a business conversation on the physical plane. This standard separates the thrill seekers from the true professionals in the paranormal community.

Shutting Down

Friendly spirits are desperate for communication. Evil spirits want to draw energy from you and wreak havoc in your life. Because natural mediums are born with their abilities, it is impossible to shut them off entirely. (Imagine trying to turn your nose off when the trash truck drives by.) In addition to regular home cleanings with sage and salt (and prayer if you are religious) you must shut down communication after every reading.

When your work is done, politely ask the spirits to leave you alone. Be specific. Tell spirits that they are not allowed in your energy field nor are they allowed to follow you home. Be firm in telling them to stay away from your family and pets. Bear in mind, however, that they don’t always go away the first time you ask. Stay alert in the hours and days after an intense reading for signs of spirit attachments. In particular, keep track of your energy level and moods. Practice the white light and mirrors meditations; they work to cleanse your energy field and protect you from spirits seeking to attach. Remember, your work is not necessarily done when you shut down your investigation or leave the office for the day.

Cleaning House

Setting up boundaries around your home and property allows you lead a normal life outside of work as a medium or investigator. Because spirits, good and bad, draw from your vital energy, it is not advisable to allow any spirits to dwell in your home. You must cleanse your home of spiritual energy – including your own – on a regular basis. Living people deposit energy in the places they live and work. In order to truly begin each day anew, you must clear out this type of residual energy, too.

Cleanse the home every 1-2 weeks. (If you do readings for clients in your home, you need to do this more frequently.) To cleanse the home, many professionals burn sage and candles while asking for peace and positive energy to dwell in the home. Place pure sea salt in the corners of each room and at the corners of the property outdoors to keep spirits away when you walk to the car or mow the lawn. Just like talismans, home cleansing rituals tend to be personal. Following the suggested methods of burning sage and scattering salt is a great place start. Develop additional methods on your own based on your spiritual preferences.

If you skip this step, you might find yourself living in a swirling portal of energy where spirits of all kinds run rampant. Energy drain over a period of time can lead to depression and health problems.

Plan for the worst

Any medium or investigator needs to make a plan in case the worst happens during – or after – a reading or investigation. Reach out to your team, a mentor, psychic medium or healer if you sense that your energy field has been compromised. If you are having obvious health problems consult a medical doctor. Stay alert for signs of energy drain, depression or unusual activity at home. Reacting to red flags when they pop up affords a huge advantage in dealing with pesky spirits who trample on your boundaries.

What Not to Do

Never try to cleanse or bless a dwelling or person without permission from your client. Further, do not try to cross over spirits without speaking first with your client. The reason for this is because your job as a medium (or investigator) is to collect information and deliver messages – it is their job to decide what to do about it. If you determine it is a loved one flicking lights off and on or emanating the smell of cigar smoke in the home, your client might want them to stick around. Further, if the entity is evil or demonic, you must make a plan to further diagnose and properly treat the haunting. An off-the-cuff house blessing rarely works in demonic cases and usually just makes things worse.

Following practices to stay safe while working with the spirit realm allows you to continue this important work over time. The most successful mediums and investigators are those who make their own safety and that of their clients a top priority.